A wireless data processing system, wireless data communication device, or wireless computing platform is collectively and interchangeably referred to herein as a “mobile device”. For example, many mobile devices not only allow the users to make voice calls, but also exchange messages and other data, access remote data processing systems, determine a user's location or activity, communicate with other mobile devices or data processing systems, or perform web-based interactions and other transactions.
Wearable devices are a category of mobile devices. A wearable device is essentially a mobile device, but has a form-factor that is suitable for wearing the device on a user's person.
A geofence is a perimeter of a closed area defined by one or more points, each point having a geographical coordinate in a three-dimensional (3D) geographical space. A geofence is also interchangeably referred to herein as simply a “fence”.
As an example, the coordinates of a point on the geofence can be the latitude and longitude of the point. As another example, the coordinates of the point on the geofence can be defined relative to another point, using another system of measurements, or both.
For example, a geofence can be a circular area defined by a center point and a radius distance. As another example, a geofence can be a rectangular area defined by four corner points. Generally, a geofence can take the form of a regular or irregular polygon formed using straight lines, a circle, an ellipse, an irregular free-form shape formed using one or more curved lines, or some combination thereof.
Geofencing is extensively used in mobile communications. For example, many operators of Wi-Fi networks allow connection to their Wi-Fi access point only when a mobile device is within a geofence defined around the access point. As another example, retailers often define geofences around their stores to detect movement of patrons in and around their stores.
Operators also use Geofencing to perform targeted delivery or exchange of data—a payload—to or with mobile devices that are present within their geofence. For example, a retailer can send a payload, e.g., data of a coupon or advertisement, to a user on the user's mobile device, when the user is in or near the retailer's geofenced store.
A venue can have several geofences existing therein simultaneously. For example, a venue such as a shopping mall can have hundreds of stores, and consequently dozens if not hundreds of geofences defined and operating therein. A user's device can be bombarded with payload data in such geofence-crowded environments.
Furthermore, a user's device can presently track only a limited number of geofences at any given time. For example, an Android™ device can track up to one hundred geofences at a time and an iOS™ device can track up to twenty geofences at a time (iOS is a trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc. licensed to Apple Inc. in the United States and in other countries; Android is a trademark of Google Inc., in the United States and in other countries). Therefore, geofences in excess of a device's tracking capability may not be registered or detected by the device, their payload may be dropped or not received by the device, or both.